Before you can create conflict, you must determine what your protagonist wants most. What are his or her goals?
- Basic Survival (Safety, food, water, air, sleep)
- Emotional (Love, self-esteem, achievement, respect….)
- Relational (Family, friends, spouse, ….)
- Spiritual (Salvation, spiritual, growth, spiritual battles, ….)
Clarify the stakes:
- What is at risk?
- What are the rewards?
- How will it impact your character’s life?
Note: The higher the stakes, the more tension a writer generates and keeps his/her audience reading
There are two basic types of conflict:
- Internal (struggles within)
- External (opposition without)
Note: Conflict should cause your protagonist to change. Whatever the cause, be sure your story reflects a development in your protagonist’s personal growth.
Multiple conflicts of varying degrees add depth to a story:
- Most stories have a core conflict, a central struggle which the protagonist has to work through.
- Smaller, secondary conflicts can exacerbate the core conflict and create more suspense
Determine the resolution to your protagonist’s conflicts. How will he resolve his situation in a way that is both believable and satisfying to the reader?
Example from my upcoming novel, The Ditty Box:
Core goal: Nora seeks to begin a new life on Ocracoke Island
Stakes:
- Transform her aunt’s house – her inheritance – into a successful bed-and-breakfast
- Acceptance into a tight-knit community
External Conflict: Someone is trying to prevent her. The house and her own life are in jeopardy.
Internal Conflicts: Fear of failure, coping with her grief, trust issues, struggling with the ‘goodness of God’ in the face of personal losses.